open spaces grant

Open Spaces Grant Application

Last week was a momentous one as far as Hanwood is concerned. It was on Wednesday, October 12th. 2011, that the grant for improvements to the Village Hall grounds was officially accepted. Liz Peel, who is the Facilitator for Community Spaces of the Big Lottery Fund, attended a meeting, which was held that day in the Village Hall. She signed the documentation awarding the grant along with Village Hall representatives. The total award is for £50,000. Liz will continue to advise and support villagers as the work progresses.

Signing the papers: Bill with Liz Peel, Facilitator for Community Spaces, and Clive, Elaine and Alan.

Work is due to start on the site around the end of October and will hopefully be completed by next June, in time for an official opening at a day of celebratory events. The first stage will be to clear the site and to mark out the new paths. Construction work is to be put out to tender in order to ensure that this sum of money is spent in the most effective way possible.

We are fortunate in Hanwood to have this valuable site in the ownership of the Village and held for the benefit of residents. Its history dates back to the time before WW2, when Hanwood still had a coal mine operating opposite to where the Primary School now stands. A Royal Commission for Coal was set up in 1919 and one of its findings was to recommend a levy of one shilling (5p) per ton of coal to be paid by mine owners. The money thus raised was to be spent on miners’ welfare in providing such facilities as baths for the miners and recreation facilities. It was under this scheme that the original building, now known as our Village Hall, was constructed in the 1930’s. The miners themselves also made weekly contribution towards this valuable new facility.

We shall keep villagers updated as work progresses with this exciting project.

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